Stressful jobs can be fulfilling because they make a difference — in people’s health, public safety or a company’s bottom line. And high-stress jobs often come with high pay. Find out whether your job is among the most stressful careers, according to experts, and how it compares with other high-stress careers from U.S. News’ 100 Best Jobs ranking. Data comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
[READ: Best Jobs for Work-Life Balance.]
Anesthesiologist
Median salary: $239,200
Education needed: Doctoral or professional degree
Expected job growth by 2032: 2.6%
Anesthesiologists are health care professionals who monitor patient health during a procedure, adjusting the amount of anesthetic to relieve pain. “The need for precision and constant vigilance, coupled with the potential for severe complications and the unpredictability of patient responses, makes this a highly stressful job,” organizational psychologist Etty Burk said in an email.
Learn more about anesthesiologists.
Business Operations Manager
Median salary: $98,100
Education needed: Bachelor’s degree
Expected job growth by 2032: 4.2%
Business operations managers are responsible for managing all business operations and setting organizational goals. “Their stress often stems from managing budgets and optimizing processes, all while meeting organizational goals and deadlines — often without control over external factors like the business market and employee behavior that can impact outcomes,” Burk said.
Learn more about business operations managers.
Clinical Social Worker
Median salary: $60,280
Education needed: Master’s degree
Expected job growth by 2032: 9.6%
Clinical social workers are licensed social workers who can diagnose and treat individuals with behavioral, mental and emotional conditions.
While it can be rewarding, social work can be a stressful profession. “It used to be that jobs that had lives on the line every day, like first responders, were believed to face the most stress. While their jobs are still incredibly challenging, roles that involve supporting our communities have seen dramatic demands for their time and energy,” Kelly Roehm, career consultant and a senior certified professional by the Society of Human Resources Management, wrote in an email.
Learn more about clinical social workers.
Community Health Worker
Median salary: $46,190
Education needed: High school diploma or equivalent
Expected job growth by 2032: 14.1%
Community health workers rank No. 2 among the Best Jobs Without a College Degree and No. 4 among the Best Social Services Jobs. They work with community and health professionals to promote wellness.
According to Roehm, because communities often lack adequate resources, these workers are often paid far less than other health care professionals. “Coupled with loss of funding, increasing caseloads and burnout have impacted these vital workers,” she said.
Learn more about community health workers.
Child and Family Social Worker
Median salary: $50,820
Education needed: Bachelor’s degree
Expected job growth by 2032: 5.3%
Child and family social workers provide interventions and support to ensure the well-being of children and families in need. “Post-COVID, we saw rising rates of children in school struggling to keep up and parents trying to balance child care and work, which is why children’s services workers are carrying a heavy load,” Roehm said.
Learn more about child and family social workers.
Dentist
Median salary: $155,040
Education needed: Doctoral or professional degree
Expected job growth by 2032: 4.4%
Dentists identify and treat problems with a patient’s mouth, gums and teeth. Career counselor Lynn Berger says that dentists have one of the most stressful jobs because most patients don’t like going to the dentist and may even feel scared or uncomfortable.
Managing the emotions that patients experience can be mentally taxing. “The most stressful occupations are those with much responsibility and not a lot of positive reward and feedback,” she explained in an email.
Learn more about dentists.
Firefighter
Median salary: $51,680
Education needed: Postsecondary nondegree award
Expected job growth by 2032: 3.6%
Firefighters are responsible for responding to emergency situations involving fires, hazardous materials and other disasters.
“Firefighters work in dangerous and high-pressure environments where split-second decisions can mean life or death,” Conor Hughes, an SHRM senior certified professional and HR consultant, wrote in an email.
Learn more about firefighters.
Financial Analyst
Median salary: $90,680
Education needed: Bachelor’s degree
Expected job growth by 2032: 8.2%
Financial analysts are responsible for analyzing financial data, trends and market conditions to help businesses make informed financial decisions. While they make lucrative salaries, their job is not easy. “The need for accuracy, staying updated on market trends and making impactful decisions under tight deadlines is compounded by the volatility of financial markets, which financial analysts cannot influence,” Burk said.
Learn more about financial analysts.
High School Teacher
Median salary: $62,360
Education needed: Bachelor’s degree
Expected job growth by 2032: 1%
In the U.S., high school teachers typically teach students from the ninth through 12th grades. While working with teenagers can be rewarding, it can be stressful as well.
“Educators often work long hours for little pay while managing overloaded classrooms, meeting strict curriculum standards and dealing with challenging student behaviors. This results in high attrition,” Hughes explained.
Learn more about high school teachers.
[See: The 15 Best Jobs That Help People]
HR Specialist
Median salary: $63,080
Education needed: Bachelor’s degree
Expected job growth by 2032: 6.3%
Human resources specialists’ duties can include helping with recruiting, facilitating employee onboarding and supporting employees in managing their compensation and benefits packages. “HR specialists are typically the most stressed role for a good three weeks during performance reviews and compensation processes,” Daniel Space, senior HR business partner director, wrote in an email.
Learn more about HR specialists.
Lawyer
Median salary: $135,740
Education needed: Doctoral or professional degree
Expected job growth by 2032: 7.5%
Lawyers rank No. 1 among the Best Social Services Jobs and No. 14 among the Best-Paying Jobs. They’re licensed professionals who provide legal advice to individuals or businesses in one or more areas of law.
“The adversarial nature of law combined with billable hour requirements, client demands and high-stakes cases create a pressure-cooker environment for many attorneys. If you’re in this field, my advice is to set boundaries, delegate tasks when possible and build time for stress management,” Hughes said.
Learn more about lawyers.
Marriage and Family Therapist
Median salary: $56,570
Education needed: Master’s degree
Expected job growth by 2032: 14.9%
Marriage and family therapists are mental health professionals licensed to diagnose and treat mental and emotional disorders within the context of marriage, couples and family systems.
While this career can be fulfilling, it’s rather demanding. “The challenge of providing effective support while maintaining professional boundaries can be emotionally draining, and factors beyond their control can influence the progress of therapy,” Burk explained.
Learn more about marriage and family therapists.
Mental Health Counselor
Median salary: $51,240
Education needed: Bachelor’s degree
Expected job growth by 2032: 10.6%
Mental health counselors assist patients with processing life experiences that can lead to grief and trauma. Of course, helping people achieve better mental health is deeply rewarding, but it could leave you feeling drained.
Also, as the pandemic led to rising mental health needs, mental health counselors experienced increasing caseloads, more stress and higher burnout rates.
Learn more about mental health counselors.
Nurse Practitioner
Median salary: $121,610
Education needed: Master’s degree
Expected job growth by 2032: 44.5%
Nurse practitioners rank No. 1 among the 100 Best Jobs, the Best STEM Jobs and the Best Health Care Jobs.
Nurse practitioners are registered nurses with additional education, which allows them to take patient histories, perform physical exams, order labs, prescribe medicine and even authorize treatment plans.
“However, due to the high-stakes nature of their profession, their enormous workloads, irregular hours and their frequent exposure to patient trauma and suffering, nurse practitioners, along with physicians and other frontline health care workers confront extreme stress,” Hughes said.
Learn more about nurse practitioners.
Paramedic
Median salary: $49,090
Education needed: High school diploma or equivalent
Expected job growth by 2032: 5.4%
Paramedics are highly trained professionals who assess, treat and transport patients who need urgent medical attention. Being a paramedic can be rewarding but mentally and physically taxing.
“Paramedics operate in dangerous, high-pressure environments where split-second decisions can mean life or death. The threat of violence combined with witnessing trauma on a regular basis contributes to extremely high rates of PTSD, depression and anxiety among first responders,” Hughes said.
Learn more about paramedics.
Patrol Officer
Median salary: $65,790
Education needed: High school diploma or equivalent
Expected job growth by 2032: 3.3%
Patrol officers are members of local or state law enforcement agencies responsible for preventing illegal activity and protecting communities. Exposure to violence, crime and the physical demands of the job can all contribute to a high stress level.
If you’re interested in becoming a patrol officer, Hughes recommends that you seek counseling, peer support and stress management training to keep your mental health in check.
Learn more about patrol officers.
Physician
Median salary: $227,180
Education needed: Doctoral or professional degree
Expected job growth by 2032: 3.1%
Physicians, or primary care doctors, are patients’ first stop when they experience health issues like headaches or heart problems.
Because of the high-stakes nature of their profession, heavy workloads and frequent exposure to patient trauma, physicians and other frontline health care workers are often under a tremendous level of stress.
Learn more about physicians.
Sales Managers
Median salary: $130,600
Education needed: Bachelor’s degree
Expected job growth by 2032: 4%
Sales managers rank No. 2 among the Best Sales and Marketing Jobs and No. 17 among the Best-Paying Jobs.
Sales managers are responsible for orchestrating an organization’s sales process, including product development, customer response and data collection. “This profession can be stressful since you must face the pressure of meeting or exceeding sales targets. You must also motivate your team, handle rejections and adapt to market changes. Plus, success is often dependent on market conditions and customer behavior that you cannot control,” Burk said.
Learn more about sales managers.
Software Developer
Median salary: $127,260
Education needed: Bachelor’s degree
Expected job growth by 2032: 25.7%
Software developers rank No. 1 among the Best Technology Jobs and No. 2 among the Best STEM Jobs.
Although software developers earn lucrative salaries, especially those who work at top companies like Meta or Google, the job can be stressful and fast-paced. These professionals use their design and coding skills to create software for clients and users. According to Space, they can sometimes feel “extremely stressed between product updates and launches.”
Learn more about software developers.
[BROWSE: Best Technology Jobs]
Surgeon
Median salary: $239,200
Education needed: Doctoral or professional degree
Expected job growth by 2032: 1.7%
Surgeons operate on people in need of medical treatment related to diseases, broken bones and other issues. An error made in a critical procedure can change someone’s life or be fatal, which is why surgeons are often under high stress.
If you’re interested in entering this career field, Hughes recommends that you try to separate your professional life from your personal one. “It’s very easy to allow the suffering you see at work to influence your personal energy,” he said.
Learn more about surgeons.
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The 20 Most Stressful Jobs originally appeared on usnews.com
Update 05/20/24: This story was previously published at an earlier date and has been updated with new information.
